Saint Roch de Montpellier

After weeks of posting about the wonderful Musée de l'Hospice Saint Roch, here at last, is the pilgrim's saint himself. Not quite how you were imagining him though, I'll bet.

This extraordinary painting of Saint Roch is by Alfred Courmes (1898 - 1993). It is oil on canvas and was painted over a period of four decades in the mid-20th century. It now hangs by the door as you leave the pharmacy. Apothecaries are on the list of people Saint Roch protects, along with pilgrims, invalids, surgeons, those caught up in epidemics and those with skin diseases.

The Surrealist artist Alfred Courmes is now largely forgotten. Although genuinely spiritual and devoted to the historical and mythological subjects painted by the Old Masters, his highly individual take consistently reinterpreted their chosen themes. His images are at once shockingly graphic and touchingly beautiful, a fantasy world where religion is wittily subverted, often with recognisable elements of contemporary advertising imagery.

Part of an unfinished folding screen, his Saint Roch should include two other elements: a Saint Sebastian (now in the Pompidou Centre) and a Holy Family that was never finished. His Saint Roch, sketched in 1936 and completed in 1977 keeps the traditional attributes of the patron saint of plague victims, even though Courmes can't resist updating and twisting the iconography, demonstrating a wicked irony and rebellious spirit that distinguishes his quirky approach.

Driven to Destruction

These are Simon's shoes that he has been wearing to drive the Tractions. They were bought on 4 September 2014 and I forcibly retired them last week (by picking them up from where they were laying about in the entry hall and putting them in the rubbish). The left one has a Traction clutch shaped wear mark on the sole and two actual holes worn right through.

Story of Noah Tapestries in the Sforzesco

Displayed in the same room as the City of Milan standard known as the gonfalon is a series of tapestries depicting the story of Noah. They were made in the Brussels workshops of Flemish weaver Gillam van Cortenberg in the 17th century.

Noah embarks the animals onto the ark.

One way you can tell this is a 17th century tapestry is the wide ornate border which has no apparent relationship thematically to the central image. This is a stylistic conceit that is used by 17th century weavers but not 16th century weavers, who do narrow plan borders.

A detail of the border.

The last tapestry in the series, back on dry land.

Tattersalls Club Hotel, Pittsworth

This is Tattersalls Club Hotel in the main street of the town I grew up in. I took this photo last time I was in town (January 2014). But you would not be able to take this photo today. In the early hours of Thursday morning the pub dramatically burnt to the ground. 

Residents of Pittsworth awoke to the sound of explosions at 2.30 am and the sight of a raging fireball engulfing the pub. Within half an hour the building was gone and a young man was dead. The cause of the inferno has yet to be established, but is likely to be some sort of fault in the building.

The Tatts Hotel, as it was mostly known, was opened in 1903. The name is a very common one for Australian pubs and I think is supposed to indicate that it is an establishment where the gambling fraternity is well catered for (ie named after Tattersalls racehorse auctioneers at Hyde Park Corner in London, who offered rooms for the Jockey Club and attracted a membership of sporting and betting gentlemen).

I think I only ever went in there once. In my youth this place wasn't nearly so nicely presented inside or out, and if I went to the pub, it was to the architecturally uninspiring 'Brick'.

This is what the site of the Tatts Hotel looks like now. My Dad very kindly popped down to photograph it for me. He only lives a few blocks away, but since this task was presumably done in between mowing the croquet club lawn and picking my Mum up from hospital, I appreciate the fact that he took the time.

Butterflies in the Touraine, 2015

Although the official figures aren't yet out, my impression of 2015 in terms of butterfly populations in the Touraine is that it was patchy at best. I suspect the problem was caterpillar host food plants and a sort of general lack of synchronisation of emergences and food plants. The year was hot but dry and although butterflies like to be warm, a dry year will reduce succulent young leaves on caterpillar host plants. You can't have good numbers of adult butterflies if the caterpillars are not thriving.

Map Araschinia levana, April, on damp soil in our potager.

Three species stand out for me as having bucked the trend: Holly Blue Celastrina argiolus, the earliest of the blue species to emerge had a good long season; likewise Long-tailed Blue Lampides boeticus turned up in July and continued migrating through into the early autumn (never in large numbers, but there were some very excited reports coming from Britain, where the species is a very rare vagrant); and the black and white summer generation of Map Araschinia levana, which was absolutely ubiquitous and abundant in July.

Grizzled Skipper Pyrgus malvae, May, on dung, Puys du Chinonais.

Once again I only managed to survey my Chaumussay sites, where the transects are either chalk grassland or arable crop margins. Here are the numbers (remember these figures only reflect what I saw survey sites and dates, not what I was seeing in the orchard and on other outings):

11 Large Skipper Ochlodes venatus Hesperiidae
12 Essex Skipper Thymelicus lineola Hesperiidae
2 Grizzled Skipper Pyrgus malvae Hesperiidae
2 Dingy Skipper Erynnis tages Hesperiidae
7 Large White Pieris brassicae Pieridae
8 Small White Pieris rapae Pieridae
6 Orange-tip Anthocharis cardamines Pieridae
7 Brimstone Gonepteryx rhamni Pieridae
10 Wood White Leptidea sinapsis Pieridae
2 Clouded Yellow Colias croceus Pieridae 
2 Scarce Swallowtail Iphiclides podalirius Papilionidae
1 Ilex Hairstreak Satyrium ilicis Lycenidae Lycaeninae
1 Holly Blue Celastrina argiolus Lycenidae
11 Provencal Short-tailed Blue Everes alcetas Lycenidae
2 Adonis Blue Polyommatus bellargus Lycenidae
17 Common Blue Polyommatus icarus Lycenidae
1 Brown Argus Aricia agestis Lycenidae
4 Pearly Heath Coenonympha arcania Nymphalidae
20 Small Heath Coenonympha pamphilus Nymphalidae
2 Wall Lasiommata megera Nymphalidae
15 Gatekeeper Pyronia tithonus Nymphalidae
4 Comma Polygonia c-album Nymphalidae
1 Speckled Wood Parage aegeria Nymphalidae
2 Map Araschinia levana Nymphalidae
49 Marbled White Melanargia galathea Nymphalidae
45 Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina Nymphalidae
5 Silver-washed Fritillary Argynnis paphia Nymphalidae Heliconiinae
7 Marbled Fritillary Brenthis daphne Nymphalidae
1 Violet Fritillary Clossiana dia Nymphalidae
1 Glanville Fritillary Melitaea cinxa Nymphalidae

Large Skipper Ochlodes venatus,  

June, on Baneberry Actaea spicata, La Bourgoterie (Chaumussay).

As well as the numbers themselves being poor, the National Natural History Museum survey struggled with getting recorders to send their records in this year. Poor Luc Manil, who runs the scheme, sent several rather sad emails to everyone this year begging them to submit their records and asking what the problem was. This year was the first year we have been asked to submit all records online instead of having a choice between that and sending in a spreadsheet. On top of that, even the online recording site was new, and Luc came to the conclusion that recorders were having problems with it. I'm not so sure. I found it easy to use, but I was nevertheless late with my records. I think something about the peculiar season set up a zeitgeist effect and we all delayed sending our records in for no reason we could put a finger on.

Marbled Fritillary Brenthis daphne,  

June, on Blackberry Rubus fruticosus agg, La Bourgoterie (Chaumussay).

In the orchard I am pleased to say that my colony of Glanville Fritillary Melitaea cinxa has not died out, and I have at least two nests of caterpillars overwintering. Also obviously breeding in the orchard are Swallowtail Papilio machaon and Provencal Short-tailed Blue Everes alcetas.

Long-tailed Blue Lampides boeticus, July, in our orchard.

To see posts on previous year's butterfly surveying click on 2011 (joining project), 2011 (April), 2011 (my records), 2012 (June), 2012 (my records), 2012 (project overview), 2013 (July). To see a description of the project go to my page about it on Loire Valley Nature.

Common Blue Polyommatus icarus, July, in our orchard.

Why are Barn Doors Red?

The explanation seems to be that this colour was cheap. The tradition seems to have been exported to the United States where it developed into more of an iconic image of rural life. To make the colour, richer folk mixed powdered ochre with linseed oil, turpentine and a liquid dessicant. Others simply mixed red ochre pigment with water. The resulting red colour is known as sang de boeuf in French ('ox blood') and some say that a few people mixed real ox blood with linseed oil.

 The stables at the Chateau of Montpoupon.

 Newly painted doors and shutters on a barn and garage in Preuilly.

 Source: Au temps de Chaumussay by Michel Brouard.

A Pharmacy in Issoudun

Over the course of the 19th century apothecaries morphed into pharmacies, and the apothecary at the Hospice Saint Roch in Issoudun was no exception.

 The 19th century pharmacy in the Hospice Saint Roch.

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A la cuisine hier: Tomato soup from a box for lunch.

Stuffed peppers, which was one of my wizard wheezes for using up some dull savoury mince I had in the freezer. Served with rice. Followed by leftover homemade galette des rois.

Visit Your Local Mosque

The Conseil Français du Culte Musulman (French Muslim Council) have asked mosques across France to open their doors to non-Muslims the weekend of 9 - 10 January. The idea is to acknowledge the anniversary of the Charlie Hebdo killings by offering the opportunity for visitors to learn more about Islam and help to bridge the gap between cultures.

The Great Mosque of Paris.

In fact the Grande Mosquée de Paris has always allowed non-Muslim visitors. The mosque is a complex covering a hectare in the 5th arrondissement that is religious, cultural and commercial. It includes a café, restaurant, courtyard gardens, beauty parlour and hamman as well as prayer rooms, library, school and other religious facilities. The building was finished in 1926 in the Moorish style you see in North Africa and Spain. According to the mosque's website groups may visit for guided tours, the mosque offers courses for children and adults in subjects such as the Arab language, art and culture as well as the study of the Koran. The guides are instructed to answer any questions that may arise during a tour and the library and the commercial enterprises are open to anyone who wishes to use their resources. 

The interior of the café.

We have never been inside the mosque proper, but we enjoyed mint tea and North African cakes in the café garden a decade or so ago. Had we been inclined we could have tried a hookah too. The decor is splendid and the atmosphere calm.

The top of the minaret, decorated in green and white tiles.

As I understand it the Grande Mosquée de Paris is run by the Institute Musulman. This organisation was created in 1917 with the aim of building the mosque as well as providing an intellectual centre for Islam in France after the First World War. There was considerable gratitude felt by the French post-war government for the support of the French Muslim community and acknowledgement that more than 100 000 French Muslims had died in the conflict. It was felt that a mosque would be a fitting memorial and tribute to the actions of Muslim soldiers. By law the Institute is apolitical, and they concentrate on cultural and humanitarian work.

During the Second World War the Rector of the mosque was Si Kaddour Benghabrit one of the founders of the Institute Musulman, and the man appointed to run the mosque from the beginning. Under his leadership and that of the senior Imam Si Mohammed Benzouaou, the mosque served to protect hundreds of French Jews, hiding and feeding them and providing them with fake Algerian birth certificates declaring them to be Muslim to give them an Arab identity and protect them from arrest. They also protected the lives of Allied paratroopers and arranged for their medical care in the nearby Muslim hospital.

I don't think the Muslim Council's call for an open weekend is going to bring much of a response however. Whilst I don't doubt that the idea is coming from a genuine wish to be open and share their culture in a non-threatening way, I think they have gravely misjudged the timing. Many non-Muslims are going to feel distinctly uncomfortable about visiting a mosque as a way of honoring the anniversary of the Charlie Hebdo killings. Not because they will feel unsafe but because they will think it is inappropriate, not least because most of those killed were atheists, quite apart from the fact that the killers were Islamists who believe that everyone should be their particular brand of Islam. The Muslim Council is trying to distance their religion from the killings, but by choosing this particular weekend is tacitly acknowledging that there is a connection. They would have been much better to have chosen any other random weekend and just promoted an ordinary open day. They would also do well to update their website a bit more often and fix the 'mosque finder' function if they want people to take it seriously.

Weather and Wildlife 2015

January: the orchard looks bare.

January: Early - exceptionally mild with a couple of brilliantly sunny days that were windless which meant you could feel the sun's warmth for real, not just enjoy the light. Also many grey drizzly days. Both New Year's Day and the day of the marche blanche in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo killings were beautiful days. I saw a honey bee out and about on 11 January, but I doubt if she was finding much to eat. Mid month there were some frosts and cold days with overcast skies. By the end of the month it was definitely cold, with a cold wind, frost most days but just getting warm enough during the day to thaw.

January: Scarlet Elf Cup fungus growning on a twig pruned from a fruit tree in the orchard.

February: First half cold, not that much rain, some overcast days, some days brilliant sunshine. Second half wet, with the ground totally saturated.

February: A Daubentons Bat hibernates in the cellars of the Chateau of Cingé.

Overall the winter was fairly average. Rain was a bit low in December and January, but February made up the small deficit. Temperatures were average, with not much frost. Sunshine hours were a bit lower than average, especially in December and January.

March: Sunset as seen from our back door, and a sign of the fine weather to come.

April: Blossom in the carpark of the Chateau of Chenonceau.

April: The trees in the orchard are still bare, but the dandelions are out in the grass.

May: A rather large tree sweeps along the Loire in Amboise during some minor flooding.

June: A young hedgehog (Fr. herisson) snuffles about on the lawn at the Chateau of Cheverny.

July: One of the hottest and driest on record. Luckily, although soils dried out, river flows and underground water remained at good levels and farmers were permitted to irrigate widely, thus saving the summer crops of forage corn at least. We had less than 5 mm of rain during the month, and Indre et Loire (37) and Loir et Cher (41) were the two driest départements in our area. Indre (36) and Vienne (86) had a bit more rain, but not much. The soils dried out very quickly in July, from around normal moisture levels in late June. By mid-July we were categorised as 'moderately dry' by the weather bureau and in the northern parts of 37 and 41 it was 'very dry'. This situation led to what is known as an 'agricultural drought'. That is, not a fullscale drought, but the soil was dry enough to a depth of 2 m that crop growth was affected. Temperatures in the first half of the month were well above average (about 5 degrees higher than normal) but not record breaking.

July: A male Large Pincertail (Fr. gomphe à crochets) dragonfly, a great record for T&P's place.

The hot weather had the big dragonflies like the Blue Emperor (Fr. anax empereur) out hunting in the midday sunshine and well into the evening shadows. Butterflies also peaked in July, with species such as the Map (Fr. carte géographique) absolutely everywhere. Gatekeepers (Fr. amaryllis) were abundant, and Holly Blues (Fr. Azuré des nerpruns) had quite a long season, doing better than many other blues. The migratory species Long-tailed Blue (Fr. azuré porte-queue) appeared in the orchard, and I later saw one in September at the Chateau of Azay-le-Rideau. With the hot weather I had been hoping to see one or two as I thought it would suit them.

August: The orchard is a sea of dry grass and wild carrot umbels.

August: Grasshoppers (Fr. criquets) mating in the orchard.

September: Paper Wasps (Fr. polistes) rather inconveniently set up home under the tin 'hat' on a post.

October: The orchard mown in strips to provide a mosaic of habitats (long and short vegetation).

October: Solomons Seal (Fr. seau de Salomon) berries in the Forest of Preuilly.

November: The warmest November on record, with rainfall low, at about 70% of normal and sunshine hours about 10% higher than normal. Temperatures were on average about 4° higher than normal, with one day hitting 20°.

November: A Grisette (Fr. grisette) mushroom in the orchard.

I recorded a Middle Spotted Woodpecker (Fr. pic mar) in the orchard. This delightful little bird has quite a distinctive call and now I know it, I have seen them several times in the forests hereabouts. I think they are reasonably common. Also present most days was a newly resident Common Buzzard (Fr. buse variable). I think perhaps it is this year's youngster from the pair who nest in the woods on the hill as you exit Preuilly towards le Grand Pressigny. It seems to be perched somewhere in or near the orchard every time I arrive. The vole (Fr. campagnol) population is good so it is probably quite well fed. The temperatures may have dropped, but that didn't bother the Common Winter Damselflies (Fr. brunette hivernale) too much. They drift about in the dried plant stalks in the orchard, nearly invisible. I suspect they are a much under recorded species.

Temperatures overall in autumn were average, but with September and most of October being markedly cooler than November. Sunshine hours were slightly higher than average. Rainfall was also about average.

Young Agile Frogs (Fr. grenouille agile) were much in evidence in October, in the potager and in the leaf litter of the forest.

December: Felled oak trees (Fr. chêne) in the Forest of Lancosme in the Brenne.

December: The first half was extraordinarily mild, with average temperatures 2.8° higher than normal. The days around my birthday saw daytime maximum temperatures around 7-10° higher than average and we happily visited the Brenne without coats. The fifth and the tenth were the only exceptions, with frost and day long fog.  The contrast was really marked, about 10° difference from one day to the next and those colder days felt perishing. The second half didn't change much. Some days could be legitimately described as warm and sunny, at least for several hours of the day. There was also quite a bit of cloud cover, but not much rain. The weather bureau is talking about a springlike December, with average temperatures exceeding those you would expect in March (and would be quite respectable temperatures for April). They comment that the duration of the period of mild weather at this time of year is truly exceptional. It was the warmest December since 1900, with temperatures far exceeding the next closest records, from 1934 and 2000. Average temperatures have been 4° higher than normal. It has also been exceptionally sunny for December, but rainfall so low that it has been amongst the driest Decembers on record.

I was able to get a bit of gardening done in the potager and was joined by a Eurasian Robin (Fr. rougegorge familier) sometimes. In English stories they are famous for their confiding nature and will boldly sit on fork handles to watch for worms, but in France they are much less inclined to hang about with gardeners.

Overall the year was amongst the hottest on record, but not the record breaker. It sits at third place, after 2011, with the average temperature 1°C above normal. (2003, the year that everyone will remember for its heatwave summer, is the fourth hottest year on record in France.) Most months in 2015 experienced higher than average temperatures (with the exceptions of February, September and October). Spring and summer were particularly hot, with two official heatwave episodes in July. The temperatures cooled in the autumn, but from the end of October onwards were exceptionally mild, with only a couple of light frosts, and that's really what pushed up the average temperatures. Rainfall was down about 15%, making this one of the ten driest years in the last 50. Sunshine hours were up on average. The fifteen hottest years on record in France have all occurred in the last thirty years.

All photos taken by us in 2015.

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Loire Valley Nature: A new entry has been added for Rosy Bonnet Mycena rosea, a very pretty but toxic little mushroom.

Gonfalon of the City of Milan

This object intrigued and fascinated us. It hangs in the middle of one of the rooms in the Castello Sforzesco, and is a curious and surprising mixture of mediums. We looked at it and thought it was a tapestry, then realised bits were painted and other bits embroidered. It's also huge. We thought it was for public processions, but then because it is so big and unwieldy looking, wondered if it was a theatrical backdrop of some sort. Then we gave up and read the museum panel.

Rather than re-invent the wheel I will quote directly from that museum panel to enlighten you too:

The gonfalon of the City of Milan belongs to the type of city ensigns decorated on both sides so as to be clearly visible to all during processions, although it is much larger than most, measuring a huge 5 metres high and 3.5 metres wide. It was crafted on a drawing by Guiseppe Arcimboldi, using a mixed technique that combined embroidery and tempera paint and featuring inserts of precious stones. Created by Scipione Delfinone and Guiseppe Posterla, between 1565 and 1567, it was drawn to be the main gonfalon of the city and remained in use as such until it became a museum exhibit in the 1870s; it has, however, subesquently been used for a number of important occasions.

On both sides the gonfalon depicts Saint Ambrose standing in the middle of an elaborately decorated arch, holding, in his left hand, the whip he is traditionally associated with and, in his right hand, a finely crafted crosier. At his feet are two soldiers, face down, symbolising the episode of the saint driving out the Aryans. The round-arched portal framing the figure of Saint Ambrose and set against the backdrop of a building rests on piers decorated with scenes from the life of the saint. The border at the bottom, which was added later, is embroidered with gold thread on a damask base, and features nine coats of arms, three of which belong to the Municipality of Milan (a red cross on a white background) and the rest to the gates of the city.

The gonfalon of Milan was commissioned by the Magnifica Communiti institution of the city for Palazzo dei Giureconsulti, which housed the Collegio dei Nobili Dottori training institution from its inauguration in 1654 until the Napoleonic Era. The work was initially entrusted to the painter Carlo Urbino and the weaver Bernadino Riome (weaving was chosen for financial reasons, since the technique is less expensive than painting and lasts longer), but the initial results were deemed unsatisfactory, in particular the skin tones, and the decision was taken to place the work in the hands of the prestigious Milanese embroiderer Scipione Delfinone; at the same time the preparatory drawings were entrusted to the artists Guiseppe Arcimboldo and Guiseppe Meda, both from Milan.

The iconography of the composition appears to have remained unchanged; the radical departure from the initial version consisted of the use of the more sophisticated technique of embroidery. The embroiderers created the work using the appliqué technique, consisting of a support on which were placed shaped pieces of different fabrics, mostly painted with embroidered inserts. For example, the saint's face is painted, while the mitre is embroidered and embellished with precious stones, creating a striking relief effect. The embroiderer also used a large number of precious materials, the purchase of which is extensively documented. Particularly fine gold and silver threads and fabrics were purchased, as well as brocades, silks and satin fabrics, while the goldsmith Battista Cellario supplied the precious stones: pearls and garnets, together with the rubies destined to adorn the mitre of Saint Ambrose.

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A la cuisine hier: Beef casserole with some good leftover red Touraine cabernet franc, lots of carrots, baby onions and some aged celery that needed using up, cooked on the wood stovetop. 

Since it was Epiphany Sunday I made a galette des rois from some homemade rough puff pastry that I had in the freezer, filled with almond paste from the supermarket and a couple of the remaining homegrown apples, sliced. I also sprinkled it with raw sugar (Fr. cassonade) so it made a sweet crispy crust. Not traditional but good. I got the fêve.

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Loire Valley Nature: An new entry has been added for Morel Morchella esculenta, one of the most prized of the edible mushrooms.

Painted Grasshawk

This is a female Painted Grasshawk dragonfly Neurothemis stigmatizans. She and her kin are native to the parts of Australia that run from the Queensland/New South Wales border, around the top and down to Broome in Western Australia.

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Loire Valley Nature: A new entry has been added for the Deceiver Laccaria laccata, an attractive and common little mushroom.
A photo has been added to the entry on Fungi Forays, showing the mushrooms found on an outing being identified.

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A la cuisine hier: A French light classic Oeufs en meurette (poached eggs in a red wine sauce) for lunch.

Dinner was herbed pork sausages from the supermarket with mixed mash (potato, carrot and celeriac). Dessert was some chocolate squidge which was supposed to be brownies but I forgot to switch the mini oven from grill to oven so they didn't cook properly. Never mind, they were actually delicious as extra squidgy sticky chocolate pudding.

Surgical Instruments

The Musée Saint Roch, the former pilgrim hospice in Issoudun, holds a collection of surgical instruments.

An 18th century trepanning kit and 18th and 19th century bone saws for performing amputations. (I hear this type of saw is useful in a butchery emergency too.)

 Syringes (for injecting mercury up the urethra, a treatment for syphilis), bedpans (one for women on the left, men in the middle) and a bloodletting pan (right).

19th century stethescope, tourniquets and a homeopathy kit.

 An 18th century trepanning kit.

 Pap boats from the 16th to 18th centuries, for feeding infants.

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Loire Valley Nature: A new entry has been created for Fly Agaric Amanita muscaria. This is the red and white spotted mushroom of the fairy stories.
A new section for Artist's Bracket Ganoderma lipsiense has been added to the Bracket Fungus Polyporaceae entry. This fungus's English name comes from the way you can do line drawings on the creamy white underside.
Two photos have been added to the Fungi Foray entry, showing a group about to head off into the forest to search for fungi of all sorts, and at the end of the day, fungi being identified.
A new entry for Common Stinkhorn Phallus impudicus has been added. This fungus certainly lives up to its various names.

A new entry for Leafy Brain Tremella foliacea has been added. The specimen I photographed looked just like silicone sealant.

Yellow Bellies

The inhabitants of Chaumussay had a nickname in the old days. They were known as les ventres jaunes ('yellow bellies'). This sobriquet may have had two origins [Source Au temps de Chaumussay by Michel Brouard]:

1. A century ago vines were quite numerous around Chaumussay and a sign of wealth. Their owners were considered to have so much gold in their waistcoat pockets that it would rub off on their bellies.
2. The quarrymen who worked extracting stone from the mines and quarries would emerge from the workplace with their clothes covered in yellow limestone (Fr. tuffeau jaunâtre) dust. The best underground quarry in the area was dug out in the 1880s. Later it served to grow mushrooms and then as a storage depot.

 The entrance to an abandoned limestone quarry near Chaumussay.

The second explanation seems much more likely to me. The very best tuffeau is sparkling white and comes from the underground quarries at Bourré. Other quarries provided differing qualities and colours of stone, ranging from white to yellow and suitable for building fine houses to paved roads. This house shows you the typical colour of stone around Chaumussay. Compare it to the colour of the Chateau of Chenonceau.

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Happy New Year to Everyone.
May it be happy, healthy and prosperous.